For someone who has had major self-esteem and body image issues for most parts of her life, this article in itself is a courageous step. To be honest, I am kind of proud of myself that I am finally penning this down.
I don’t know how many people will read this but I would like to leave these words here for my own satisfaction at least. I have had PCOS for as long as I can remember, probably right from when puberty hit me but I am finally PCOS free (well, almost there). And by now, google has made us more than aware of what the symptoms of PCOS are.
I have had excess facial hair and fluctuating mental health because of PCOS. Naturally, that brought a lot of self-esteem issues in me as a teenager. I was bullied in school for not being “beautiful enough”.
Well, I did make heads turn but not for the right reasons. I definitely didn’t have people crushing on me, but I did have people who tried their best to crush my spirits. But at the same time, I did have my tribe, as they say. A handful of people who always kept rooting for me and still do.
I still remember something my best friend and my mom told me, “Remember they can never take away your intelligence or your intellect”. I think that was one of the statements that made me keep going for most of the days when things went downhill.
While I definitely cannot stop everything people has to say, something that I can do is build myself instead of crying and wailing. It has now been 2 years since I have actively started working on my health and while I haven’t been so consistent, the past few months have really been a game-changer for me.
The more and more I kept focusing on building myself, the better it got for me in terms of confidence. It has also increased my ability to shun people’s unsolicited advice. Now when I look back at all the rejections and bullying, I believe it was honestly for the best because as they say what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.
I am putting these words out there only to free myself of all the past baggage so that a few months down the line even if one person gets motivated reading this, I can pat myself on my back and say that I have done my best and I am proud of myself for being able to speak up for myself.